Arwen

I second this. With a 27 inch in seam, the grand hight of 5'3", 76kg (and falling at last!) and little upper body strength I pretty much never sit on the bike and paddle it along with my feet. If I'm on the bike it moves due to its own power. If I need to move it without using the engine, I get off it and walk with it. With bigger/heavier bikes it is a bit easier to lean them slight towards me, so my hip is against it to reduced the chance of it falling away from me. My current bike weighs 105kg and with a seat hight of 29.7" I can just about get both balls of my feet on the ground. When I stop at junctions/traffic lights/etc I generally only have one foot on the ground and the other either on the back brake or under the gear leaver ready to move it into second when I move off. The camber and condition of the road determines which foot I put on the ground. With more practice I am confident I'll be able to go any bike that I can comfortable hold steady with one foot (even if it is just the ball of my foot) on the ground. As for the emergency stop thing. While doing my CBT the instructor suggested I try moving the bike after I had came to a stop and done the checked using only one foot. So I tried it, slided towards the left hand side of the seat so more of my left foot was on the ground and simply pushed. It worked with no issues. Being able to get both feet fully on the ground is not a requirement, but it is very useful at building confidence. The low seat hight of the cruisers might make them appealing, but I find them difficult to move as they require lots more upper body strength. The more upright bikes, once you get them going I find are more manageable. Practise feathering the clutch and dragging the rear brake to control the bike during slow speed stuff. To put it into perspective, I can ride my bike without wobbling slower than I walk at a normal walking pace. All it takes is practice and a little bit of confidence.

If it is just a one off trip then just strap down a hold all, rucksack or one of these dry bag things to the pillion seat and/or the luggage rack. I found by running the straps under the seat I could get everything secured. If this is something you want to do more of, then invest in some pannier and/or a top box. Ebay and gumtree are full of them. Also some decent deals on amazon.

Ahh cool. Good to know

I don't want to lock certain areas down like that as it makes for a clique environment I know places that do this to try and gain money from it in donations/subscriptions but its not for me I'm afraid You wouldn't need to make it "locked" as such. Just make it so members need a post count of 1+ to see it. It would stop bots from gaining access and so anything we post in there is not searchable to google/bing/yahoo etc.

Does this happen no matter what gear you are in when going up the hill? 125cc are not fantastic at getting up hills at the best of times. Could be something wrong with your gearing, or simply you need to drop down a gear to get up the hill.

Urgh... annoying! If it is condemned can you not just commandeer a family member or close friends/neighbours washing machine and sort a replacement one out for when you get get back?

Lol fair enough!

I was wondering what you were all taking about until I realised the forum layout had changed... I just always click on "view new posts" Didn't even realise there was an adults only bit! Surely we are all adults though, since it is a bike forum? :-/

I don't have any so cannot comment on them. But have been thinking of maybe picking up a svc200. Here is a review of it. http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2013/11/10 ... o-far.html

I'm thinking of posting a review once I've got it up to around 1000 miles or so. It seems every time I take it out it is getting smoother and more responsive, and the clutch is finally being a bit less grab-by and trying to buck me off! As it stands just now, I love it. I have however promised myself that the first mod I make to it, after changing the tyres for ones that actually grip, will be to remove the L plates. So theory is booked for the 5th June. I'll look and see when I can get booked in for the rest towards the end of summer. After the L's are gone, then new exhaust, seat and getting some of the plastics painted purple (suggestions for what shade would be good, ideally a purple that is already used as stock on a bike or car). Then I might look at suspension and brake upgrades, but I have no issues with the stock set up right now. I have found that the wind can be a bit of an issue, gusts of 30mph+ I find rather scary on it to be honest. That could just be because I am new to biking and not used to it though. Might try fitting a windscreen to it to see if this helps at all.

I splashed out a whole £2.50 and ordered these when I got my bike - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00B ... ge_o07_s00 Was nice to try a lot of different brands and styles. I've pretty much settled on the moldex ones, as the Howard Leight ones seem to keep sliding out my ear and the 3M EAR ones are either too hard or to long. I found the The Moldex ones have a more foamy texture and do not slide back out. I've now ordered 20 x Moldex Pura-Fit and 20 x Moldex Spark Plugs as both or them were very comfortable I found. So for £6.25 I've got 40 pairs of ear plugs. I think I'll stick with the disposable ones as I think I'd be scared I'd lose a custom made pair. And the reusable ones you see on amazon all look like they are made from a very slidey material. If you buy the disposable ones in bulk they get even cheaper.

The main issue when doing it on your own is insurance. You have to be insured for the higher output.

If you are finding it really difficult to find boots that fit, I van recommend Altberg boots. I have a pair that were custom made for me and they are excellent. Takes a while for them to be made and you have to go to Yorkshire for them, but they are fantastic. I imaging they should be able to make a boot suitable for you. http://www.altberg.co.uk/

Well done! I've got mine on the 5th of June

Most people can only get the stock ones up to around 65-ish. Changing the gearing, intake and exhaust has allowed some to get over 70mph. Personally, the roads I used it for are all 60mph and below I'll do a top speed run once the engine is broken in. Lol yea they do sound great without that stock exhaust. Can't wait to change mine out

Fitted the top box and rack to it last night. It doesn't look quite so silly as I thought it would!

Looking good! How are you enjoying it?

Have a watch of the DVLA clips on youtube of the test - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf8qoQ5d3rA I'm going to buy some cones and basically do that over and over again. Might be worth asking your training school to focus more on the high speed ones (emergency stop and avoidance) since they are harder to evaluate/practise on your own. Good luck!

You could try http://www.helmetcity.co.uk/, they have a free exchange policy (I have used it with no issues) and they have quite a few that fit your budget - http://www.helmetcity.co.uk/categories/ ... t=priceasc

Yay!! Congrats! Have you got the others booked yet?

Top speed varies with each bike it would seem. I'm not expecting much over 60mph as it is right now. I'm still breaking it in, and still getting used to being on two wheels, rather than four, myself so I've not taken it past 40 yet :-/ Lol once I've got more comfortable on it then maybe I'll give it a go

If it helps at all, I drop my chain through the gap below the rear shock. So the chain sits between the swing arm's "arms" and between the frame and the cross section of the swing arm. (Not sure if that is the right term...) Seems pretty secure to me, and doesn't require loads of chain! Good luck with the garage clear out!

Very shiny! Hope you enjoy it. Just a little note. If you can, put the chain through the frame somewhere. If someone wants your bike then it doesn't take long, or make noise to remove the back wheel.

Oh, and regarding hi-vis. As a car driver I find I noticed people wearing hi-vis much quicker than I otherwise would. So yes, I tend to wear it on the bike. My textile jacket is mostly yellow hi-vi! There are certain time when hi-vis is harder to see though. Such as bright sunlight and on country roads with oil seed rape in full bloom in the fields.

That is massive budget for gear. More expensive gear doesn't nesiccerily mean it will protect you better. You really have to find stuff that fits properly. Motorcycle clothing does not always match casual clothes sizing. You will however get more "technology" in your gear for the higher price. Some times it is worth it, other times it is hard to say. Bike to bike communication is usually done via radios. Bluetooth ones can be hit and miss as the engine can interfere with the Bluetooth signal. Those boots don't look very protective... If you want that style, can I suggest you look at Altberg boots? I have a custom made pair and they are fantastic. Base layers. Again, more expensive isn't always best. Just make sure they are designed to wick moisture away from you, and they fit close to your skin. But not too tight that you cannot move freely. Merino wool is very effective at keeping you dry and warm, or cool depending on the outside temperature. If you have a go outdoors shop near you they are a good place to pick them up. I tend to use ones from aldi and lidl though. I find they are very effective. Two piece suits are much more comfortable I find. Although I prefer the all round connector zip better than the short zip style. Most will come with armour in the knees, shoulders and elbows as standard. More upper range ones will have hip armour as well. Nearly all jackets will have a pocket for back armour. I'd recommend getting some as I find it make the whole jacket sit better when on the bike. Does take some getting used to though. There are loads of different kinds of armour. Just make sure it meets the minimum safty certificate ( its a CE number I think) Leather or textile? I like having both. But textiles tend to be more comfortable. Especially if you know you will be off the bike for a while at the end of your ride and not able to change. Try some on of each. More advanced textiles now have more abrasion resistance than most leathers, so safety wise, there isn't a difference in them.